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The Attorney General of Texas
November30, 1981
MARK WHITE
Attorney
General
Supreme Cowl Sulldlng
HanorableEenry Wade OpinionNo. MW-399
P. 0. Box 12543 CriminalDistrictAttorney
Austin, TX. 79711 CondemnationSection Re: Use of county law library
SW4752501 Sixth Floor, RecordsBuilding funds for a computer informa-
Telex 9101874-1397 Dallas, Texas 75202 \ tion center
Telecopier 51214750286
Dear Mr. Wade:
1507 MaIn St..suite
14cm
Dallas, TX. 75201 You advise that computerieedinfbrmationsystemsprovide greater
214&‘42@44
quantities of legal research In shorter periods of time than
conventionallegal researchtools can.provide,and state:
4824 Albrts Ave.. Suit0 lB0
El Paso. TX. 79905 The question'foryour considerationis whether law
915B33aS4 library funds may be used for rhe, purpose of
implementinga computerinformationsystem.
1220 Dallas Ave.. Suite 202
Houston, TX. 77002 You explain that it would be necessaryto hire additionalpersonnelin
71- order to implementthe system and proeide computerizedinformationto
judges and litigants.
808 Broadway, Suite 312
Lubbock. TX. 78401
Article.1702h.V.T.C.S..provides:
SW7476235
Section 1. The Conrmissioners Courts of all
counties within this State shall have the power
4309 N. Tenth. Suite B
and authority,by first enteringan order for that
McAlten, TX. 79501
512M2-4547
purpose, to provide for, maintain and establisha
County Law Library.
2w hwn Plaza, Suite 400 ....
San Antonio. TX. 792W
512f225.4191
.Sec. 4. For the purpose of ,establishing
County Law Libraries... there shall be taxed,
An Equal OpportunItyI collected,and paid as other costs, a sum set by
Alllrmatlve Action E~P~OYW the Cbnrmlssioners
Court not to exceed $10 in each
civil case,...;Such costs shall be collectedby
the clerks of the respective courts in .said
counties and paid~by said clerks to the County
TreasLrer to be 'kept by said Treasurer in a
separate ftindto be known a8 the 'County Law
Library Fund.’ Such fund ~shallnot be used for
any othet purpose.
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HonorableHenry Wade - Page 2 (WW-399)
Sec. 6. The salary of the custodian or
librarianand such other employeesor assistants
may be necessary shall be fixed by the
&asissioners Court and shall be paid out of the
funds collected under this Act, or from
appropriationsmade under this Act.
Sec. 7. Such fund shall be administeredby
the CommissionersCourt, or under its direction,
for the.purchase and lease of library materials,
the maintenance of the Law Library, and the
acquisition of all furniture. shelving and
equipmentnecessarythereto,in a place convenient
.and accessibleto the Judges and litigantsof such
county. The CommissionersCourt shall provide
suitable space for housing the law library and
MY8 with the advice of the committeereferredto
in Section 5 of this Act, use funds collected
under this Act for the acquisitionof such space.
Priority in the use of such funds shall be given
to providing books, periodicals,other Library
materials, and ataff for the law library. The
CommissionersCourt of the counties affected by
this Act shall make rules for the use of books in
said library.
In our opinion these provisionsfurnish ample authority to use
money in the .CountyLaw Library Pund for equipping the County Law
Library with computer ,hardware and software ~to aid judges and
litigants in researching the law, and to employ the additional
personnelneeded so long as the statutoryprioritiesare observed.
Computer terminals, printers and programs designed to aid legal
research are merely particular items of "equipment" or types of
"library materials" within the meaning of the statute. The
legislaturehas the authority to allow such uses of the County Law
Library Fund and, in our opinion,has done so. -See AttorneyGeneral
GpinionMW-349 (1981).
SUMMARY
Dallas County Law Library funds may be used
to implementa computerinformationsystem.,
MARK WHITE
AttorneyGeneralof Texas
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HonorableHenry Wade - Page '3 (Mw-399)
JOHN W. FAINTER,JR.
First AssistantAttorneyGeneral
RICHARDE. GRAY III
ExecutiveAssistantAttorneyGeneral
Preparedby Bruce Youngblood
AssistantAttorneyGeneral
APPROVED:
OPINIONCOMMITTEE
Susan L. Garrison,Chairman
James Allison
Jon Bible
Rick Gilpin
Jim Moellinger
Bruce Youngblood
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion